1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compound document management system which manages a relational structure of each object in a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded and a compound document structure managing method, and a recording medium which stores a compound document structure management program.
2. Description of the Related Art
An application program which handles a compound document containing data objects of different formats such as text, image and graph controls, in the compound document in question, a linkage generated by another application program and various data embedded in the compound document. FIG. 11 shows an example of a compound document. In a compound document 1100 shown in FIG. 11, a text 1110, an image 1120 and a graph 1130 are related with each other with their regions (position and size) fixed.
One of conventional systems which handle such a compound document as illustrated in the figure is the system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open (Kokai) No. Heisei 6-195339. In the system disclosed in the literature, data objects such as an image data object, a text data object and a graph data object are referred to as accommodated objects of a compound document and a compound document object is referred to as an accommodation object. Then, at the time of editing the accommodated object accommodated in the compound document object, when a user gives an instruction to an application program (the application program in question which opens a compound document is referred to as a client program), the client program in question starts an application program for editing an accommodated object (the application program in question which conducts editing is referred to as a server program) to execute editing of the accommodated object designated by the user. Then, the client program receives and manages the editing results obtained by the server program.
In such a conventional system, when the client program receives data of editing results of an accommodated object obtained by the server program, the data can be embedded in a file for storing a compound document in the client program in question. It is also possible to store data of editing results in a file or a storage region prepared separately and store only a reference key for the storage position.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing one example of a system for managing the accommodated object by an application program which handles a compound document. With reference to FIG. 12, an application program generates a compound document object 1200 corresponding to one compound document and the compound document object 1200 holds a list of accommodated objects. Elements 1210 and 1220 of the list in question hold, in addition to additional information such as a position and a size of an accommodated object, a pointer to an accommodated object.
A word processor as an application program for a compound document, for example, generates the compound document object 1200 for each document created. Then, every time image or graph is applied, the word processor adds the elements 1210 and 1220 to the list of accommodated objects and sets, as list elements, pointers to an image data object 1211 and a graph data object 1221 and attribute information such as a position where the image or the graph in question is embedded into the document and a size of display. Since a word processor is an application program used mainly for the purpose of processing text, the compound document object 1200 also serves as a text object.
Description will be made of a method of relating a data object with a compound document object in accommodated-accommodating relations by using a conventional word processor of this kind. The word processor is capable of relating data created by another application program as a data object with a compound document object by using a shared memory region called a clip-board which is presented by an operating system. Common word processor relates data objects stored in a clip-board by pasting operation. Similarly, as long as the word processor adapts, it is allowed to select a kind of data object to be inserted from a menu which a program presents and relate the data object to a compound document object.
In addition, an application program such as an idea processor, a word processor or a presentation tool having outline display and text display functions is capable of hierarchically displaying a structure of relations between objects which constitute text and image to operate relations in hierarchy. An outline editing function of an idea processor, a word processor or a presentation tool, for example, enables a level setting for each header, as well as enabling a kind and a size of font and the amount of indent of the text set corresponding to each level to be changed by changing, increasing or decreasing a set level.
A data base, another example of an application program for a compound document, defines a schema in advance and stores data adapted to the schema. A data base of this kind enables addition and change of a kind of data to be stored by the addition and the change of a schema definition by a data base designer.
Another conventional device which handles a compound document is the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open (Kokai) No. Heisei 8-292949. Disclosed in the literature is a document processing device which, when on a document created by a documentation application program, an object other than a document created by another application program is superposed, preserves relational data such as a superposition position, thereby when the document is changed, referring to the relational data in question to prevent pasting of a document onto the object other than a document.
Although the above-described conventional compound document processing systems present a method of managing accommodated objects and supporting interchange of information between an accommodation object and an accommodated object, there is no common method of relating accommodated objects in a relation other than accommodating-accommodated relations.
Neither exists a common method of adding or changing a manner of determining signification of a relation between accommodated objects after an application program is created.
Under these circumstances, since an application program having the above-described outline display function has an object corresponding to each level of outline predetermined for each application program, it has a shortcoming that a user is not allowed to set rules for selecting a kind of object to be allotted to each level.
Although a word processor, for example, is capable of outline-displaying a header of each chapter in a document, when at an outline-display state, a header of the first level needs to be related to a note where comments are to be written, it is incapable of defining such structuring rules.
The document processing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open (Kokai) No. Heisei 8-292949 is also incapable of arbitrarily defining signification of a relation between objects and therefore has to use one prepared in advance.
Although the above-described data base presents a means for limitedly changing a schema definition, the degree of freedom of changing a schema definition is too low to set up a flexible system.
In a customer data base made up of addresses, names, ages and sexes, for example, in a case where a name has uniqueness, if a schema is defined by three relations  less than name, address greater than ,  less than name, sex greater than  and  less than name, age greater than , user information can be managed in three tables. With such definition, a new attribute (e.g. hobby, favorite) can be added for each user. More specifically, it is only necessary to create a new  less than name, hobby greater than  table, copy a name in a name field for each user already registered in the data base and copy a specific value indicative of xe2x80x9cyet to be inputxe2x80x9d in a hobby field.
A schema definition changing method of this kind, however, is not allowed to input or edit relevant data unless an application program for operating each field of hobby or favorite is newly created. In other words, it is impossible, in an application program which reflects existing data base design, to newly relate a hobby and a favorite to a user. Also to an address, sex and age, if some information is to be related, the above-described conventional schema definition is useless.
The present invention is proposed in view of the above-described conventional problems and a first object thereof is to provide a common method of providing structuring rules among objects, thereby providing a compound document management system and a compound document structure managing method enabling creation of a plurality of compound documents having different structures by using the same application program, and a recording medium which stores a compound document structure management program.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a compound document management system and a compound document structure managing method enabling control of consistency of document contents of a compound document and access control on an object basis under distributed surroundings based on a document structure according to structuring rules, and a recording medium which stores a compound document structure management program.
According to the first aspect of the invention, a compound document management system for managing a structure of a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded, comprises
compound document object holding means for holding a compound document object which accommodates various kinds of data objects, and
schema object generating means for generating a schema object which manages a structure of relations between objects accommodated in a compound document object and applying the schema object to the compound document object in question, wherein
the schema object, when the compound document object newly relates to other object, only if relating of objects in a desired relation is possible, executes relating of the objects in question.
In the preferred construction, the schema object comprises a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated, and rule searching means for checking a possibility/impossibility of relating of a data object with reference to the structuring rule table, and the compound document object, when newly relating to other object, inquires of the rule searching means whether relating of the objects in a desired relation is possible or not.
In another preferred construction, the data object is composed of an entity object made up of actual data and an agent object corresponding to the entity object in question, the entity object is managed independently of the compound document object, and the compound document object conducts relating of the entity object by the management of a structure of a relation of the agent object.
In another preferred construction, the schema object comprises a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated, and rule searching means for checking a possibility/impossibility of relating of a data object with reference to the structuring rule table, the compound document object, when newly relating to other object, inquires of the rule searching means whether relating of the objects in a desired relation is possible or not, the data object is composed of an entity object made up of actual data and an agent object corresponding to the entity object in question, the entity object is managed independently of the compound document object, and the compound document object conducts relating of the entity object by the management of a structure of a relation of the agent object.
In another preferred construction, the data object is composed of an entity object made up of actual data and an agent object corresponding to the entity object in question, the entity object is managed independently of the compound document object, the compound document object conducts relating of the entity object by the management of a structure of a relation of the agent object, the agent object has a lock/unlock interface, and the compound document object applies an access control list to the agent object.
In another preferred construction, the compound document management system further comprises rule adding, deleting and changing means for executing addition, deletion and change of a structuring rule with respect to the structuring rule table, wherein
the contents of the structuring rule table are changed as required.
In another preferred construction, the data object is composed of an entity object made up of actual data and an agent object corresponding to the entity object in question, the entity object is managed independently of the compound document object, and the compound document object conducts relating of the entity object by the management of a structure of a relation of the agent object, and which further comprises rule adding, deleting and changing means for executing addition, deletion and change of a structuring rule with respect to the structuring rule table, wherein the contents of the structuring rule table are changed as required.
In another preferred construction, the data object is composed of an entity object made up of actual data and an agent object corresponding to the entity object in question, the entity object is managed independently of the compound document object, the compound document object conducts relating of the entity object by the management of a structure of a relation of the agent object, the agent object has a lock/unlock interface, and the compound document object applies an access control list to the agent object, and which further comprises rule adding, deleting and changing means for executing addition, deletion and change of a structuring rule with respect to the structuring rule table, wherein the contents of the structuring rule table are changed as required.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a compound document structure managing method of managing a structure of a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded, comprising the steps of:
generating a schema object including a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated and rule searching means for checking a possibility/impossibility of relating of a data object with reference to the structuring rule table, and applying the schema object to a compound document object accommodating various kinds of data objects held in compound document object holding means, and when newly relating a data object to the compound document object, inquiring of the rule searching means whether relating of objects in a desired relation is possible or not and only when the relating is possible, executing relating of the object in question.
In the preferred construction, at the step of newly relating a data object to the compound document object, the data object is composed of an entity object made up of actual data and an agent object corresponding to the entity object in question, the entity object is managed independently of the compound document object, and the compound document object conducts relating of the entity object by the management of a structure of a relation of the agent object.
In another preferred construction, the schema object generated at the schema object generating step further comprises rule adding, deleting and changing means for executing addition, deletion and change of a structuring rule with respect to the structuring rule table, and which further comprises the step of changing the contents of the structuring rule table by using the rule adding, deleting and changing means as required.
In another preferred construction, at the step of newly relating a data object to the compound document object, the data object is composed of an entity object made up of actual data and an agent object corresponding to the entity object in question,
the entity object is managed independently of the compound document object, and the compound document object conducts relating of the entity object by the management of a structure of a relation of the agent object, and the schema object generated at the schema object generating step further comprises rule adding, deleting and changing means for executing addition, deletion and change of a structuring rule with respect to the structuring rule table, and which further comprises the step of changing the contents of the structuring rule table by using the rule adding, deleting and changing means as required.
According to the third aspect of the invention, a computer readable memory storing a compound document structure management program for controlling a compound document management system which manages a structure of a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded, the compound document structure management program comprising the steps of:
generating a schema object including a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated and rule searching means for checking a possibility/impossibility of relating of a data object with reference to the structuring rule table, and applying the schema object to a compound document object accommodating various kinds of data objects held in compound document object holding means, and
when newly relating a data object to the compound document object, inquiring of the rule searching means whether relating of objects in a desired relation is possible or not and only when the relating is possible, executing relating of the object in question.
According to another aspect of the invention, a compound document management system for managing a structure of a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded, comprises
a compound document object holding unit for holding a compound document object which accommodates various kinds of data objects, and
a schema object generating unit for generating a schema object which manages a structure of relations between objects accommodated in a compound document object and applying the schema object to the compound document object in question, wherein
the schema object comprises
a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated, and
a rule searching unit for checking a possibility/impossibility of relating of a data object with reference to the structuring rule table, and
the compound document object, when newly relating to other object, inquires of the rule searching unit whether relating of the objects in a desired relation is possible or not and only when the relating is possible, the schema object executes relating of the object in question.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the detailed description given herebelow.